The invention that is the subject of this application is a new and distinct variety of Thuja occidentalis that is fast growing for the species, very narrow, and distinctly different from any other Thuja occidentalis known to the inventor in that it is much more compact in its growing habit. This new variety was found growing in the inventor's nursery in Cherokee County, Georgia. It was a naturally occuring branch mutation of one of a number of rooted cuttings of the ‘Hetz Wintergreen’ variety of Thuja occidentalis planted in 1999. In the following six growing seasons, the original plant of this new variety grew to be more than twenty-one feet (seven meters) tall, and slightly more than three feet (one meter) wide.
While this new variety resembles its ‘Hetz Wintergreen’ parent in growth rate and general shape, its foliage is approximately twice as dense as its parent due to closer internode spacing. Its substantially denser foliage greatly enhances its utility as a screening plant. It is better able than its parent to serve as a windbreak, and as a sight or sound barrier. It surpasses its parent in visual appeal. Its trunk is strictly vertical, and almost always singular, seldom dividing. Its root system is substantial, and well able to sustain the tree against wind damage. Its short lateral side branches make it almost immune to snow and ice. Another distinguishing characteristic is that it maintains a brighter green color in winter than its parent, probably because its denser foliage protects it from the winter sun and wind.